Campgrounds, picnic areas and parking areas in remote areas often use unmanned collection devices for fee collection. Generally, a user puts the fee into a provided envelope, writes identifying information on the envelope, such as a site number or a license plate number, and pushes the envelope through a fee slot in such fee collection devices. Prior known fee collection devices have several vulnerabilities and problems.
Thieves will attempt to fish envelopes back out of the fee collection device through the fee slot. Some prior known fee collection devices include a downwardly angled plate with a serrated lower edge to prevent such fishing. With fee collection devices with a single plate with a serrated lower edge, thieves are often able to push the line away from the serrated edge and successfully fish envelopes out. U.S. Pat. No. 134,321 to Slawson discloses a fare-box for use in street-cars, omnibuses, and other public conveyances with several plates with serrated lower edges.
Some prior known fee collection devices have small fee slots to inhibit fishing. Such small fee slots do not allow the use of coin packed envelopes. Other fee collection devices are locked with padlocks with shackles that are vulnerable to bolt cutters.
Some prior known fee collection devices have an interior that is only accessible through the top of the device. Accessing envelopes for collection and cleaning the interior is difficult in these devices. Other prior known fee collection devices have an access door lower on the device for envelope collection. These lower access doors can compromise the device strength and provide a point of vulnerability to thieves.